


Love Goes On

by 1DE3shipper



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: A/B/O Universe, Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-09-02
Packaged: 2018-08-12 13:02:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7935640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1DE3shipper/pseuds/1DE3shipper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mpreg AU Zayn had an unplanned pregnancy from a heat surrogate who he thought he'd never see again. It the happiest accident that's ever happened to him because it gave him a his son.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love Goes On

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [1D_Hiatus_Prompt_Meme](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/1D_Hiatus_Prompt_Meme) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> It only takes one second.  
> Frantic, this plays over in his mind like a broken record as Zayn runs around the store calling his sons name.
> 
> His precious son, who is still learning stranger danger because he thinks everybody is his new best friend. Who still waves hi to ever person he sees.....
> 
> Mpreg AU Zayn had an unplanned pregnancy from a heat surrogate who he thought he'd never see again. It the happiest accident that's ever happened to him because it gave him a his son.
> 
> Zayn/Anyone
> 
> It's not my best work, but I wanted to have something and considering how blocked I've been I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, so I hope whoever prompted that this is t least sort of what you wanted!
> 
> Title from "Love Goes On" by HomeTown (who everyone should go check out because they're amazing and adorable)

It only takes one second.

Frantic, this plays over in his mind like a broken record as Zayn runs around the store calling his sons name.

His precious son, who is still learning stranger danger because he thinks everybody is his new best friend.  Who still waves hi to ever person he sees.

He’s about to resort to paging Aaiz over the store’s loudspeaker when he hears a familiar giggle coming from the cereal aisle.  Zayn jerks his head in that direction where he sees his son being lifted into the air by a stranger.  He’s about to panic when Aaiz reaches for a box of Frosted Flakes on a high shelf and the stranger puts him back down again, and while he’s still a bit uneasy, his son doesn’t seem to be in any immediate danger.

“Az, you know better than to run off where I can’t find you,” Zayn scolds as he makes his way to Aaiz.

“Sorry baba,” Aaiz at least looks somewhat apologetic.

“I take it this one belongs to you, then?” the stranger speaks up, and now that Zayn has his son back by his side, he takes the opportunity to really look at the man.  He’s young and built much bigger than Zayn is, broad shoulders and toned arms and chest pull against the fabric of his black t-shirt.  His brown hair is cut short on the sides and styled on the top and complements his brown eyes nicely.  The scruff dusting his face does little to age him up, and Zayn find himself reminded of a puppy dog.  A really attractive puppy dog (and that sounds a lot worse than it did in his head).

“Yeah, sorry about that.  I turned my back for one second,” Zayn scratches at the back of his neck sheepishly because the last thing he wants is for anyone—especially attractive strangers—to think he’s a bad parent.

“I don’t doubt it,” attractive stranger says with a laugh.  “Kids can be sneaky when they want something.”

“Speaking of which,” Zayn turns his attention to Aaiz, who is in the process of putting another box of cereal—Fruit Loops this time—into the cart.  He freezes when he notices his father’s attention on him.  “Who said you could get sweet cereal to begin with?  You still have a box of Corn Pops at home, put those back.”

Aaiz looks like he’s going to protest, but deflates, seemingly deciding that he’s not going to win the argument today.  The attractive stranger takes the boxes of cereal and puts them back on the high shelves, out of the reach of mischievous five-year-olds.

“Sorry,” Zayn says again.

“It’s really alright,” the stranger replies and extends a hand. “Liam.”

“Zayn,” Zayn responds, taking the offered hand for a shake and _wow_ Liam has a strong grip.

“I should get going, but I’ll see you around, Zayn?” Liam asks, and all Zayn can do is nod dumbly at the hopeful look in the other man’s eyes.

“Yeah…yeah, see you.”

Liam gives a salute before turning to the front of the store and striding away.  It’s only then that Zayn catches his scent and is kicking himself for not noticing the smell of alpha before.  If he had, he would have grabbed Aaiz and walked the other way before anyone could say a word.  It’s not that Zayn doesn’t like alphas, it’s just that he doesn’t trust them.  Especially not around his son. 

He’s had a bit of a rough time with relationships ever since Aaiz was born (and before that too, but he would hardly count his high school flings as _relationships_ ), with different alphas coming and going, promising they’ll stay, but leaving as soon as they realize that they’re not ready for commitment.  It was okay when Aaiz was younger and had no way of knowing what was going on, but now Zayn didn’t want anyone around that could hurt his son.

And attractive alphas definitely fall into that category.

“ _Baba_ ,” Aaiz whines, kicking at the cart.

“I’m coming, jaan,” Zayn huffs, gripping the handlebars of the cart and steering towards checkout.  “You know you’re getting time-out when we get home, yeah?  You know better than to go where I can’t see you.”

“I’m sorry baba, please no?” Aaiz looks up with this biggest puppy dog eyes he can manage (something he _definitely_ learned from Harry), but Zayn is immune. 

“Don’t make me add five minutes,” he warns, and Aaiz huffs in response but says nothing and Zayn can tell he’s rolling his eyes. 

( _That_ he learned from Louis and Zayn swears he’s never going to leave his friends with his child ever again.)

Zayn unloads the bags while Aaiz sits on the stool set up in the corner of the living room for the very purpose of punishment, so all is quiet.  There are only a few bags and it doesn’t take Zayn long to unpack.  He looks at the still-mostly-empty fridge and sighs, before looking at the calendar and counting backwards to when his next payday is.

He hadn’t planned to have kids so young, just 20 we Aaiz was born.  He went out a lot in college, slept with alphas, betas, and even other omegas he never planned on seeing again, and all it took was one night of forgetting to take his suppressants to end up in a strange alpha’s bed while in heat.  Zayn doesn’t remember anything about that night—or most other nights out, to be honest—so he has no clue who Aaiz’z father is, but he thinks that may be for the best.  The last thing he wanted was to force an alpha into a family he didn’t want. 

Which goes back to Zayn’s reservations about alphas in general.

It’s all worth it, though, he thinks as he fondly watches Aaiz subtly draw attention to himself in the time-out corner.  Despite barely making ends meet as a single parent, Zayn wouldn’t trade his son for anything in the world.

“C’mere, beta,” Zayn calls, and Aaiz jumps up at the sound of his baba’s voice.  Zayn pulls his son into a tight embrace and pick him up to sit on the counter.

“’M sorry, baba,” Aaiz says quietly, face pressed into Zayn’s neck.

“It’s alright, babe, just don’t run off on me like that, yeah?” Zayn responded just as softly, pulling back so he can look at his son’s face, so Aaiz can see just how serious he is.  “You scare me when I can’t see you.  I don’t want anyone to take you away from me.”

“Love you, baba,” Aaiz presses a sloppy kiss to Zayn’s cheek, making him grin.

“Love you too, Az,” Zayn responds.  “Want to help me stir some pasta for dinner?”

Just like that, the five-year-old forgets the events of the day, too excited by the prospect of helping his dad cook, but for some reason, Liam-the-attractive-stranger-alpha won’t leave Zayn’s thoughts.

\--

Zayn has the worst sense of déjà vu not even a week later.  Not even two seconds ago, Aaiz had been racing down the slide over and over again with an enthusiasm for repetition only kids can have, and Zayn had turned for barely a moment to ask (demand) Louis to stop pulling his hair (because one five-year-old was plenty; Zayn shouldn’t have to deal with this kind of immaturity from his best friend).  Now Aaiz is nowhere in sight and Zayn feels the familiar panic rush through him as he stands up franticly from the picnic bench where he and Aaiz had had lunch with Louis and Harry.

“Zayn?” Harry asks, but Zayn doesn’t even respond, eyes repeatedly scanning the area for the familiar black hair but coming up empty.  It’s a big park, which is why Zayn hates coming here, but it’s Aaiz’s favorite.  It’s so easy to get lost in the swarm of children running around or the older kids lounging about on the tunnels and with every second that passes without a glimpse of his son, Zayn feels himself creeping closer to full-blown panic mode.  Just as he’s about to drag his friends from their picnic and command that they spread out to search, he hears a shout from across the playground.

“Baba!  Look what I can do!”

Zayn whips his head in the direction of his son’s voice and is off before either Harry or Louis can process what’s going on.  As he approaches, he hears another voice talking to Aaiz, to which Aaiz responds with a giggle.  His son is hanging from the monkey bars, supported by a strange man.  Zayn is about to step in, when he realizes…

“Liam?”

Liam turns at the sound of his name and breaks into a grin that makes his eyes crinkle when they lock with Zayn’s.

“Zayn!  Good to see you again!” he says, as if he really had been looking forward to the possibility of meeting after their encounter at the store.

“Umm, yeah,” is all Zayn can respond, cursing his nature for making him distracted at the scent of alpha he recognizes immediately. 

“Baba!  Liam’s helping me use the monkey bars without falling!”  Aaiz exclaims as Liam sets him on the ground again, oblivious to his father’s plight.  “It’s ‘cause he’s so big and strong.  Baba, I wanna be big and strong like Liam!”

Zayn just stands frozen, unable to respond.  Hell, he doesn’t even know if he’s processing at the moment because _damn when has alpha ever smelt this good?_   Fortunately, Liam doesn’t seem to notice his hesitation either, because he just bends down to tickle at Aaiz’s sides and responds “Then you gotta be a good boy and eat your veggies and eat lots of sleep!”

“I like broccoli,” Aaiz volunteers.

“You’re off to a good start then,” Liam nods, before turning back to Zayn, who had just watched the exchange with wide eyes and an open mouth.  “Sorry if he’s not supposed to, like, be over here or something.  He just recognized me from the other day and I couldn’t say no.  Are you…alright?”  Liam’s voice takes on a confused tone at the end, clearly noticing Zayn’s expression.

The omega shakes it off quickly.  “Yeah, fine,” he rushes.  “We gotta get going though.  Errands to run and stuff.”

“Oh.  Right,” Liam’s face falls for just a moment before he recovers.  “If you wanted you could, um, give me your number?  If you ever wanted some company when you take him out or anything.”

Liam seems so shy about asking that Zayn almost forgets he’s an alpha for a moment, until Harry and Louis—perfect timing as always—race up behind him.

“Liam!” Harry exclaims, wrapping the other alpha in one of his koala-like hugs that Liam doesn’t even flinch at.  Louis just looks at Zayn and shrugs, as if to say _“What did you expect, it’s Harry”_ which Zayn thinks is a pretty appropriate reaction.

“Uncle Harry!  Liam’s helping me on the monkey bars!” Aaiz slaps at Harry’s leg to get his attention. 

“Yes, well, Liam is good at things like that,” Harry responds, as if that’s an explanation.

“How do you know Liam?” Zayn asks, because he knows Harry knows everybody, but he’s been introduced—or subjected—to most of Harry’s hipster friends by this point.

“Friend of Niall’s from uni,” Harry answers, and if anyone knows more people that Harry, it’s Niall.

“You know Niall?” Liam questions, directed at Zayn this time.

“Yeah, um…we hang out sometimes.  Friend of Harry’s and all,” Zayn nods awkwardly, keeping his eyes firmly on his son just to have something to look at other than Liam’s deep brown eyes.

“We should all get together!” Harry suggests and Zayn’s not rude enough to tell him exactly what a _horrible_ idea that is, but just barely.  He frantically makes eye contact with Louis, hoping to get some sympathy from the beta, but Louis just smirks and agrees with Harry.  He needs news friends.  For real this time.

“Baba, ‘m hungry,” Aaiz whines, clearly frustrated at the lack of attention being paid to him at the moment.  Zayn is more than happy for the change in subject.

“Already, beta?” he asks, scooping the boy up to place him on his hip.  “We just ate!”

“But I’ve played _so much_ ,” he huffs.  “I gotta get my energy back.” 

Zayn laughs out loud at the seriousness that only kids can manage before pressing a kiss to Aaiz’s forehead.

“Fair enough,” he agrees.  “I guess that’s our cue.”  He looks up again to see the other three men staring at him, watching the exchange.  Louis’s expression says that the next words out of his mouth will be ‘ice cream’ and Zayn will have no choice but to give in because he’s a pushover. Harry’s is amused, clearly enjoying Louis’s influence on the boy that Zayn’s himself finds exasperating.  And Liam…Liam’s can be described as nothing other than fond, complete with the smile that makes his eyes crinkle up. 

Zayn doesn’t dwell on that for too long.

“I guess I’ll be seeing you around then,” Liam says, clapping Harry on the shoulder without making his eyes off of Zayn.  The attention was beginning to make him feel a bit twitchy and he really needed to get out of there.

With barely a nod, Zayn took off in the direction of their car, leaving their picnic basket for Harry and Louis to take care of (serves them right).  He buckles Aaiz into his booster seat and climbs silently into the seat next to him, leaving the front for Harry and Louis.  When the other men get there, they take one look at Zayn’s pinched expression and choose to stay silent, only offering halfhearted responses to Aaiz’s chatter as they make their way to get ice cream (because Louis is driving, so there’s no stopping him). 

Once again, Zayn finds his thoughts completely filled with Liam—his eyes, his hair, his _smile_ —and tries not to think about what that means, because addressing it means admitting to at least a mild fascination with the alpha, and Zayn is not going to do that.  Not yet.  Not ever.

He meets Harry’s gaze in the rearview mirror, the curly haired lad’s eyes filled with sympathy and Zayn knows that he’s well and truly fucked.

\--

As it turns out, Zayn doesn’t even have time to worry about when he’ll see Liam again, because he and Aaiz are over at Harry’s the next night when the door opens without a knock and Niall loudly announces his presence, Liam shyly following behind.  Harry’s already looking sheepish before Zayn can turn to glare at him, but Niall and Liam are already in the kitchen so Zayn can’t exactly say anything.

“Niall!” Aaiz screams, launching himself at the blonde.

“Az, inside voice,” Zayn scolds as Niall cackles and swings the five-year-old through the air.

“Aw, don’t be like that, Zaynie.  We all know it’s just ‘cause I’m his favorite.”

“You are a terrible influence on my child,” Zayn proclaims, and glances at Louis, who has just gotten out of the shower and is in the process of trying to swipe a finger-full of potatoes from the serving bowl.  “All of you.”

“You’re a spoilsport is what you are,” Louis retorts, potatoes successfully in his mouth.

“I’m responsible.”

“Ah, then you and Liam really would be perfect together,” Niall giggles as Liam, who’s been silent through the exchange, goes bright red.

“I’m not going to respond,” Zayn says calmly, “because my son is in the room.  Draw your own conclusions.” 

Niall and Louis break out in renewed laughter, while Harry shakes his head and Aaiz looks between them with confusion.  Zayn honestly considers himself lucky that Az’s first word wasn’t cock or bastard or balls, and plans on keeping such language out of his son’s vocabulary for as long as possible.

“Chicken’s ready!” Harry announced suddenly, clearly not liking the direction of the conversation and Zayn is grateful. 

“Azza, go help Harry bring stuff to the table, babe,” Zayn encourages.  “And make Louis help while you’re at it.”

“Dead to me, Malik,” Louis glares as Aaiz tugs frantically on the older lad’s arm.  Zayn just grins and starts laying plates from at each seat.

“I hope you don’t mind me being here,” Liam says suddenly.  Niall looks between the two of them with raised eyebrows before excusing himself to the kitchen to “help”.  Zayn really _really_ needs new friends. 

“Why would I mind?” Zayn fakes nonchalance as he continues to set the table. 

“I get the impression you don’t like me very much.”

Zayn stops and looks up at that.  “It’s not that.  Not at all really,” he sighs and hesitates.  “Quite the opposite, in fact.”

“Oh,” Liam responds dumbly.  “ _Oh_.”

“Yeah,” Zayn huffs.  “It’s complicated.  I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Okay,” Liam responds simply.  “But I would still like your number, at the very least.”

Zayn smiles at his hands as Aaiz saves him from responding when he scampers back in holding a basket—and _actual basket_ —of bread in both hands, Louis following with the butter dish.

“I’m glad you at least possess the common sense not to give a five-year-old anything breakable,” Zayn comments.

“Excuse you, I am an incredibly responsible parental figure,” Louis retorts, turning his nose up.

They sit around the table, Aaiz on one side of Zayn and Liam on the other.  Conversation flows between all of them, admittedly driven by Aaiz, who loves the attention of as many people as possible.  Definitely not something he inherited from Zayn, which brings up thoughts of other alphas that Zayn would rather not think about, especially around other people.  He’s just gotten used to Liam’s scent, is doing his best not to think of him as a random alpha, and he’s afraid that _those_ thoughts will undo everything he’s tried to train himself to think over the course of the evening.

Shaking his head, he’s brought back to the present by Liam’s hand on his arm.  It’s harmless, he knows, but it still sends warning signs to him brain.  He needs to get over this.  He does.  He will.  He’ll get Liam’s number, maybe go out to dinner.  It might be nothing in the end and that’s okay.  Or, it could be something and that, Zayn knows, is also okay.  It is.  He’s ready. 

So he takes a deep breath and meets Liam’s eyes. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think!


End file.
